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Indigenous Employment Strategy

Partnership with the Indigenous Community

The AFL values the skills, experience and knowledge of Indigenous people. We seek to use the power of Australian football as a vehicle to improve the quality of life in Indigenous communities throughout Australia.

We are committed to improving employment, education, health and participation opportunities for Indigenous people and communities at a local level. We recognise Indigenous people’s contribution to AFL and their importance in the growth of the game.

After three years of strategic program development the AFL industry now employs over 70 people. We continue to educate the industry about the benefits of Indigenous contribution and our retention is above 80% which is remarkable given comparable statistics across other industries.

In addition to traineeships and junior positions the strategy demonstrates the potential for Indigenous leadership in all areas of our business including coaching and senior management.

Some of the successes of the strategy include: our first executive appointment Brett Mansell - AFL Tasmania executive team, followed shortly by our first Aboriginal woman executive appointment – Belinda Duarte to Richmond FC, promotion to AIS coaching positions for Michael O’Loughlin and Chris Johnson and the first Aboriginal appointment to the West Coast Football Commission – Larry Kickett.

Using an innovative integrated approach our IES programs provide cultural and professional development for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, educate Indigenous people about industry expectations and standards and provide opportunities for Indigenous people to easily integrate into the industry. Our programs include: